Feminists Don't Want To Read Miss Or Mrs. In Times, Just Ms.

NEW YORK — Women protesters Wednesday picketed The New York Times, demanding that the newspaper drop the titles ''Miss'' and ''Mrs.'' as discriminatory against women.

About two dozen women from an organization called Feminists Fighting Pornography protested at the Times. Page Mellish, who spoke for the group, said it was part of ''a campaign going on since the 1970s.''

She said the protesters had not asked for a meeting with Times management ''but they get all our literature. We keep them up to date.''

Several passers-by heckled the women as they chanted ''The New York Times is behind the times,'' and ''Ms. is a right of privacy.'' The latter is a reference to a title some feminists prefer because it does not disclose a woman's marital status.

Mellish said the group is trying to get the Times to quit referring to women as either ''Mrs.'' or ''Miss'' and to abandon such words as spokesman and chairman and replace them with spokesperson and chairperson.